The short anger measure: development of a measure to assess anger in forensic populations

Strategies Employed by Forensic Community Mental Health Nurses to Resolve Difficulties in Supporting Offenders With Mental Disorders Under the Medical Treatment and Supervision Act in Japan

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to identify the strategies used by forensic community mental health nurses to resolve difficulties in supporting offenders with mental disorders under the Medical Treatment and Supervision Act in Japan.

METHOD

Interviews were conducted with 13 nurses, and the data were analyzed using content analysis.

RESULTS

The study identified the strategies for difficulties in (a) assessing and managing risk potential of forensic service patients, (b) addressing offending behavior, (c) managing the transition of patients, (d) supporting patients to understand the impact of justice processes and applying knowledge of legislation to nursing, and (e) promoting the role of forensic community mental health nurses within the multidisciplinary team.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings can benefit and support forensic community mental health nurses' practices. The Japanese forensic community mental health nurses experiencing difficulties and providing home visits to patients can utilize the identified strategies.

Evidence-Based Practice in Forensic Mental Health Nursing: A Critical Review

METHOD

Literature searches of databases, particularly CINAHL, using key phrases were undertaken.

RESULTS

Some authors argue that there is a lack of evidence in forensic mental health (FMH) nursing, with few randomized controlled trials and other methods providing definitive, generalizable evidence. However, literature searches revealed randomized controlled trials of relevance to FMH nursing, many qualitative studies by FMH nurses, and arguments for clinical experience and knowledge of service users, and the latter's views, as sources of evidence.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Research findings can be applied to practice, both directly and indirectly. Examples are given of ways that evidence can be used to inform FMH nursing interventions related to therapeutic ward environments, including communication, therapeutic relationships, preventing retraumatization, and enabling physical health. The complex nature of "evidence" is considered in relation to risk assessment and management.

CONCLUSIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

FMH nursing can be based on a wide range of sources of evidence. The types of evidence used in practice depend on individual service users' needs and views. In evaluating evidence, it is necessary to be aware of its complex, diverse nature. A distinction can be made between definitive, widely generalizable research findings and evidence with limited generalizability, requiring FMH nurses' judgments about whether it is applicable to their own area of practice. Recommendations for related education and research are made.

Young Offenders, Maltreatment, and Trauma: A Pilot Study

Although a large number of studies offer consistent and persuasive evidence that exposure to childhood maltreatment and subsequent juvenile offending behaviours are related, relatively few studies have investigated the mechanisms by which maltreatment might increase risk in young offender populations. The aim of this pilot study was to collate data on the key areas of need from 28 young male offenders in secure care in an Australian jurisdiction, with a specific focus on the inter-relationship between scores on self-report measures of maltreatment, trauma, and mental health. The findings provide preliminary evidence that these key constructs are linked to other proximal risk factors for juvenile offending, such as poor anger regulation and antisocial thinking patterns. They offer a rationale for considering the sequelae of maltreatment in the development of service delivery frameworks for young offenders.